Cleaning Greasy Concrete

A common misconception among many people is that cleaning concrete is an easy task. However, when a grease stain appears this can easily be found to not be true. Whether you are looking to clean a grease stain from the last time you had a barbecue, or you are simply looking to clean up after your car leaked everywhere, this method will ensure that you have a perfectly cleaned concrete floor again.

Materials needed:

• A friend's help
• Hand held scrub brush
• Long handled scrub brush
• 2 deck brooms
• Regular broom
• Mop
• Bucket
• Large floor squeegee
• Dust pan
• Work clothes
• Goggles
• Rubber gloves
• Steam cleaner
• Oxyclean, Comet with bleach, or similar cleaner
• Cement or concrete sealer

Procedure:

1. Sweep. Prior to scrubbing your concrete floor, you will need to sweep out as much as you possibly can. This is the reason for two deck brooms, as well as a regular broom. Chances are the grease on your concrete floor will create a mess of your broom so, use one that you can dispose of. Saving the clean broom for later on in the procedure.
2. Cleaner. Once you have cleaned your floor as much as you possibly can, it is time to begin making your cleanser. Make a slurry out of Oxyclean, Comet with bleach, or some similar type of cleaner. Having made the slurry, you will need to lay it out on the floor. Make sure that the cleaner will cover the entire stain, with at least an inch of the clean part of the floor covered as well.
3. Scrub. Once the stain has been covered by 1/8 of an inch it is time to begin scrubbing. You will need to scrub the stain for a minimum of twenty minutes, and it will go much quicker if you have a friend help you out. Use your scrub brushes, and be sure that you are wearing gloves and goggles to protect yourself from the mess. While you are cleaning, you will notice that the bubbles will change their color to a dirty grey color, so don't be surprised when you see this.
4. Rinse. After scrubbing for twenty minutes, it is time to rinse the slurry away. The easiest way to do this is to use a steam cleaner. A steam cleaner will also give an extra little oomph to your cleaning efforts, and once you have rinsed your floor off use the squeegee to remove the excess water. If your concrete flooring does not have a drain, then you will want to use a bucket and mop to remove the water.
5. Repeat. Repeat steps two through four until your floor is clean. After having removed the stain, allow your floor to dry completely prior to using it.

After you have finally cleaned your flooring, you may want to reseal the concrete. While this is not exactly necessary, it will help protect the concrete against future abuses. This will make your future cleaning efforts easier. Simply give your local hardware store the dimensions for your concrete floor and you will get the proper amount of sealer needed. Follow your local hardware store's instructions on how to apply the sealant.